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| This young lady is either having a great time or a terrible one in Ed Wood's Devil Cult. |
I don't know sometimes, you guys.
Since my colleague Greg Javer died last December, I've occasionally found myself wondering what kind of articles he would have written for this series if he had lived. It's impossible to say, since Greg's interests went in so many different directions. There was no aspect of Ed Wood's life or career that escaped his attention. At any given time, Greg might have been pursuing a dozen different threads simultaneously. Occasionally, I'd nag him into turning something he was exploring into an article that I could actually publish on my blog. And he would.
Quite a few of Greg's articles dealt with the loops, i.e. the short, usually silent 8mm pornographic films (both gay and straight), that Ed Wood made in the 1970s. Eddie wrote and/or directed many of these films himself, and especially "hot" scenes from his features like The Young Marrieds (1972) and The Only House in Town (1970) were also marketed separately as loops. These short films were generally sold through mail-order—and none too cheaply, either—so that viewers with their own projectors and screens could watch them in privacy at home. Hey, this was life before the internet, folks.
While Eddie's loop career was indeed extensive, perhaps his best-known pornographic short films were those he made circa 1973 for the notorious Swedish Erotica series. And, of these, few have intrigued me quite as much as the fourteenth entry in the franchise: Devil Cult. I mean, just look at the ad copy for the film:
SWEDISH EROTICA NO. 14DEVIL CULTDevil cultist Poelzig, captures the young virgin and while she is at the altar, her flesh is taken with lust. She was given a potion which sends her into the depths of passion where there are no bounds to the imagination. This film is a must to add to your collection.
It was always Greg's contention that Ed Wood wrote the florid Swedish Erotica promotional text himself. I don't disagree, since it so closely matches the tone of his horror-themed erotic stories and novels of the same era. Devil worship, in particular, is a recurring theme in Ed's 1960s and '70s work. As for the name Poelzig, who knows where it came from? Perhaps Eddie was thinking of German architect Hans Poelzig (1869-1936), who designed sets for the classic horror film The Golem (1920). You might say that's a stretch, but stretching things out is a big part of the adult entertainment industry.
UPDATE: Porn historian Dimitrios Otis (and several others!) messaged me to say that the character name Poelzig comes from the classic Universal horror film The Black Cat (1934). It's the surname of Boris Karloff's sinister, mysterious character in that film. Dimitrios further suggested that the Wood-written synopsis of Devil Cult is influenced by the plot of The Black Cat. Numerous characters in the Universal films are referred to as "cultists," while Karloff's character is a cult leader.
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| (left) A censored promotional image for Devil Cult; (right) Hans Poelzig's screen credit. |
What of the loop itself? Well, Greg was kind enough to forward me a digitized copy of the 11-minute film, so I have no excuse not to watch it. While the original loop marketed by Swedish Erotica was entirely silent—apart from the whirring sound of your home movie projector—this version is accompanied by raucous music taken from Teenage Shutdown! Get a Move On!!! (Crypt Records, 1998), a compilation of singles by forgotten '60s garage bands. We hear "You Better Get a Move On" by Soul Inc., followed by "I'm Alright" by The Spades, "Watch Your Step" by The Bare Facts, "Don't Play With Me" by The Third Evolution, and "You Can't Catch Me" by The Chessmen.
But now a scene-by-scene-breakdown of Devil Cult.
1. (00:00) Visually, the film begins with the familiar "Adult Cinema presents" title card from other Swedish Erotica loops of this vintage. It fades to black.
2. (00:01) We fade in on a closeup of a woman's face. Her eyes are closed. She has shoulder-length, dark brown hair and is resting her head on a leopard-print pillow. It's notable that Devil Cult includes a few fades and dissolves along the way, since these meant extra processing fees at the film lab. In his commentary track for Two-Thousand Maniacs (1964), director Herschell Gordon Lewis discussed doing as many effects in-camera as possible, specifically to avoid such fees. So someone was willing to spend a little extra money for aesthetic niceties on Devil Cult.
The camera pans down the woman's (slender) nude body as the title "DEVIL CULT" appears onscreen. The camera pulls back, allowing us to see that the woman is lying starfish-style, her arms and legs spread wide, on a black altar. There are leopard-print pillows under her head and each of her feet. Additionally, there are lit candles placed on the upper-right and upper-left corners of the altar, making the scene look more like a pagan ritual. Meanwhile, a nude man—bearded and pudgy, slightly resembling a Parks & Rec-era Chris Pratt—waves his arms over the woman. I must confess that neither the man nor the woman in this movie is familiar to me. If you know who they are, please let me know.
While the camera is scrutinizing the woman's body, the first subtitle appears:
POELZIG: I SACRIFICE THIS YOUNG VIRGIN TO THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS
The man then bends at the waist and begins French-kissing her.
3. (00:30) We cut to a closeup of Poelzig and the virgin kissing passionately. He then redirects his attention, licking and sucking her nipples, as she tenderly caresses his neck.
VIRGIN: I FEEL SO WARM
This is quite Woodian, as Ed's characters often keep us apprised of their bodily temperatures, hot or cold. The camera follows Poelzig as he works his way down the virgin's body, licking her abdomen and then performing cunnilingus on her.
VIRGIN: DON'T PLEASE DON'T
Despite her objections, the man persists. The camera pans up the woman's body to show her enthusiastic reaction to this.
VIRGIN: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
If you're counting (and Greg sure would have), that's 14 H's and eight exclamation points.
4. (01:16) The film then cuts to another angle, giving us an upside-down, overhead view of the woman's now-contorted face. The camera then pans across her body.
VIRGIN: STOP! STOP
We see that Poelzig is still performing oral sex on the virgin. She uses both hands to press against his shoulder. The camera then pans back to her face, which is half-hidden in shadows. This is honestly the most visually-striking shot in the entire film.
5. (01:45) The film then dissolves to an extreme closeup of Poelzig performing oral sex on the virgin. This is the point at which Devil Cult has essentially given up any pretext of erotica. This is clinical, not sensual.
6. (02:01) Luckily, after a few seconds, we switch to a wide shot. Poelzig continues to service the moaning virgin, who strokes his hair. In the background, we see a lot of starving-artist-type paintings on the wall. I'm sure these works of art were visible in other adult films of the era; Greg could have told you for sure. Soon, our paunchy satanist wanders over to the head of the altar and makes a simple, unmistakable request.
POELZIG: SUCK THIS BABY
The virgin rearranges herself into a kneeling posture and complies. The devil cultist appreciates this and says so.
POELZIG: BOY THAT FEELS GOOD
7. (02:40) We cut to a closeup of the virgin fellating the man, taking care to cradle his testicles as she does so.
8. (02:56) The film then dissolves to an extreme closeup of this same act. Once again, we are in medical/surgical territory. I suppose, given the money that customers were paying for these loops, they were entitled to some extremely detailed shots like these. Also, if you care to inspect the heroine's dental work, this is your ideal opportunity to do so.
9. (03:23) Mercy must have overtaken Ed Wood, because we again revert to a wide shot. Our young ingenue continues to fellate Poelzig. And the two candles I mentioned previously are still visible in this shot. Otherwise, Devil Cult has abandoned its horror/supernatural theme entirely. But our leading man has another request.
POELZIG: TURN OVER
She complies by lying on her back, then returning to the task at hand. (Or at mouth.)
10. (04:00) After a few seconds, we cut to one of the more creative camera angles in the entire film. We peer through Poelzig's legs as the virgin continues to service him. Her face is once again upside-down because the actress is on her back as she performs this task. But then Ed Wood rotates his camera counterclockwise about 45 degrees so that the woman's face is horizontal in the frame. He then rotates the camera in the opposite direction until the actress' face is again upside-down.
11. (04:26) Smash cut to another pathologically-intense closeup of Poelzig performing cunnilingus on the virgin!
12. (04:44) Smash cut to a matching closeup of the virgin fellating Poelzig! As unappetizing as these shots are, they are quintessentially Woodian. In his erotic fiction, Ed Wood places a lot of emphasis on the "lashing" and "slashing" of tongues. Appropriately, then, tongues play a crucial role in Devil Cult as well. Ed's camera truly lingers on these moist, muscular body parts, despite their lack of visual appeal.
13. (04:54) Because of the suddenness of these last two cuts, it may be difficult to discern exactly what is happening at this stage in the lovemaking process. A wide shot clears things up. Our two revelers are in what I'd call a "modified 69" position—the woman on her back, the man on his feet—performing oral sex on each other. It's a nicely egalitarian moment, but it is fleeting. Soon it is time to change positions again. The man backs away from the woman, and she sits up. He walks to the other end of the altar and turns the woman's body about 90 degrees. She is concerned.
VIRGIN: PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY CHERRY
POELZIG: I WON'T
This is as close as we've gotten to an exchange of dialogue in the entire film, but you probably won't pay much attention to it because of what's happening onscreen at that moment. Essentially, the devil cultist arranges the young woman's body so that her head is on the floor (on a shag rug) and her body is propped up by the altar. Then, she tucks her legs into her chest, leaving her hind quarters exposed and vulnerable. Poelzig positions himself behind her.
14. (05:25) We then cut to a brief closeup of the woman's agonized face.
VIRGIN: OH, IT HURTS, PULL OUT
15. (05:29) We dissolve to an extreme closeup of one body part being inserted into another. I won't spoil the moment by telling you if the devil cultist keeps his recent promise to the maiden. The moment has all the eroticism of a trip to the local butcher shop or a tour of a sausage factory. This, however, is when I first noticed that Poelzig has a tattoo on his right hand. The resolution is not great here, but it appears to be a stylized image of a housefly or a spider. Meanwhile, our virginal heroine employs one of her own fingers on herself.
VIRGIN: OHHHH, IT HURTS
16. (06:10) After a few long seconds, we unfortunately dissolve to an even closer closeup of the action. The young woman is obviously in crisis.
VIRGIN: NO, NO, NO
More pumping and fingering ensues.
17. (06:24) Ed Wood now cuts to a wider, overhead shot that starts on the woman's face and then pans down the length of her body until it reaches Poelzig, who is still going about his business at the other end of her. The camera then travels back up to the woman's face. She bites her knuckle.
18. (06:57) We then switch to a rather remarkable shot in which both performers' bodies are visible in full: the woman on the floor with her legs sticking up, the man crouched over her. It makes you wonder if God were having a laugh at mankind's expense when He originally conceived of sex. The man has grown impatient and withdraws from the woman. He sits down on the altar.
POELZIG: GET UP
She stands and faces him. They kiss passionately as he caresses her nether regions. But he has more instructions.
POELZIG: SIT ON IT
Now it is the devil cultist's turn to lie on his back on the altar. The woman climbs on top of him in a position that we would call "reverse cowgirl." The man is pleased.
POELZIG: THAT'S IT
Predictably, they have sex in this rather awkward and ungainly position, which is apparently the one depicted in the movie's official promotional image.
19. (07:46) Here, Ed Wood again switches to another queasy closeup of the insertion.
20. (08:12) The film then dissolves to a wider shot in which we see both performers' bodies. It's also a good opportunity for the modern viewer to appreciate the early 1970s furnishings that surround our two actors. If nothing else, Devil Cult provides a glimpse into the wacky, tacky world of a half-century ago. But, still, the man is never satisfied for long with what his partner is doing. He's always demanding changes.
POELZIG: ROLL, BABY, ROLL
Without disengaging, they rearrange themselves so that they are lying on their sides.
21. (08:25) They continue, and the film cuts to a shot of the woman's face as she reacts.
22. (08:32) This lasts only a few seconds, however, and we are then treated to a closeup shot of both actors' various sex organs. We're so close to said organs, in fact, that it's difficult to tell exactly what we're seeing. To be honest, it all looks a bit like deli meat. Come to think of it, have you ever had haggis? How about giblets?
23. (08:42) We soon dissolve to another reaction shot of the woman, now lying on her side with her eyes closed. Typically, the camera pans down the length of her abdomen to where the "action" is occurring. Yet more pumping occurs, then we journey back to the woman's face.
24. (09:08) We now cut to a wider shot depicting both characters on the altar. They decouple, and the woman rolls over to kiss the man. He has an announcement to make.
POELZIG: TASTE THE NECTOR OF THE GODS
I'd forgotten that Devil Cult had yet to include the requisite "wet shot," so I should have known this scene was on its way. And, yes, the word nectar is spelled "nector" in the subtitles. This is the first truly Woodian moment the film has given us in a while, so I was grateful for it. Our heroine, heeding the request of her costar, does what she must. She lowers her head onto his crotch and begins sucking away.
25. (09:33) She goes slowly at first, but then the movie switches to yet another closeup, and she begins bobbing her head up and down quite vigorously.
26. (09:45) The movie then gives us a reaction shot of Poelzig's face. He is not terribly poetic at this juncture.
POELZIG: OHHHH, FUCK!
27. (09:52) We now dissolve to the woman's face as she excitedly continues her work. She doesn't have to work long, though, since the man climaxes right away. His output is not, shall we say, prodigious.
POELZIG: LICK IT UP
She continues to bob her head up and down on his shaft, then cleans up any spillage from his crotch and abdomen. Finally, she returns to the shaft.
28. (10:40) We then dissolve to the final image of the film: an overhead image of the postcoital lovers. The man, utterly spent, lies on his back on the altar. The woman, likewise exhausted, rests on top of him, still gnawing on the man's softening member. The candles and the leopard-print pillows remain visible on the altar. The camera starts to zoom in on the woman's face, and the words "The End" are superimposed on the right-hand side of the screen. The film then ends abruptly at the 10:56 mark.
Now, when Greg was reviewing these loops, he would put the Ed Wood-written subtitles through great amounts of textual analysis. Frankly, I never quite understood that aspect of his articles. It was beyond my comprehension. But, for the record, Devil Cult contains twenty subtitles. That's 1.8 subtitles per minute on average. By my count, there are 68 words on display here. That's about three and a half words per line and four letters per word. (Although there's only one so-called "four-letter word," i.e. profanity, in the entire film.) What does all this mean? You tell me.
I was more interested in the fact that, counting the production logo at the beginning of the film, we are treated to 28 separate shots in just under 11 minutes. That's an average shot length (ASL) of about 23.4 seconds. Not exactly a rapid-fire action blockbuster, then, but not an exercise in Warholian, lassiez-faire minimalism either. There's definitely an attempt to give the viewer a variety of shots from a variety of angles. Wood's camera rarely stays still in Devil Cult. It's pretty much always on the move, zooming and panning. The director doesn't just park the camera on a tripod and let it run.
Thematically, Devil Cult is a little underwhelming. I became interested in this movie because of its alleged supernatural or Gothic elements, but these are barely a factor after the first few seconds. It's mere window dressing, in other words. A disgruntled IMDb user called this film "bland" and "pretty standard." I found myself wishing that Ed Wood had turned this material into a short story instead of a short film, because I know he could have let his imagination have free reign in ways that a low-budget, 11-minute porno loop simply wouldn't allow. As it is, Devil Cult is only slightly more eccentric than any other Swedish Erotica loop of the early 1970s.
Above all, this movie offers a brief but potent lesson in sexual politics. Our devil cultist, Poelzig, is by all appearances a rather schlubby-looking, average dude. He is not threatening or imposing in any way that I detected. The film's unnamed heroine, too, just seems like a pleasant, fairly nondescript young lady that you might meet at a party or a singles bar somewhere in LA. There is nothing too extraordinary about the low-energy lovemaking scenes in Devil Cult apart from a few impractical, uncomfortable-looking positions that are soon abandoned.
But notice that, through the subtitles, Ed Wood tries to impose some kind of disturbing narrative on this otherwise-uninspiring material. He wants us to think that the woman is extremely reluctant to do all of this and that the man is imposing his will on her. Notice the lines that the "virgin" is supposed to be saying: "DON'T PLEASE DONT" "STOP! STOP" "PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY CHERRY" "OH, IT HURTS, PULL OUT" etc., etc. Why do we have these lines? Is it not "hot" for some men unless the woman is being raped? And is it hotter still that the woman is sexually inexperienced and that her innocence is being taken by force?
Maybe Devil Cult is more disturbing than I'd originally figured.
ADDENDUM: Keith Crocker, an occasional contributor to this series, informs me that he and Greg Javer actually recorded a commentary track for Devil Cult. It was intended for the Hard Wood box set but not included. He also reports that he had an hourlong phone conversation with Noel Bloom, adult film producer and son of adult publisher Bernie Bloom. As Keith recalls:
Now, I spoke with Noel Bloom, for an hour by phone. Bloom claims he made these early loops. He also claims Necromania (1971) was a softcore short. He swore someone else must have shot the hardcore [footage] and inserted it. While he was cohesive during our conversation, I came to realize his memory was compromised. I do believe he is wrong, I do believe Ed made the first 19 Swedish Erotica loops, as they resemble those TV commercials [Ed Wood] shot in the late '40s. Greg loved trying to unravel mysteries. It would go on and on. That's why I went directly to Bloom and asked him about it all. I have no patience for mysteries. 50% of what Noel told me was dead on. The other 50% wasn't. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Meanwhile, the redoubtable James Pontolillo observes:
Regarding your musings about the rape element included in the film. I'm much more familiar with pulp paperbacks where it is also a significant plot element. In the carnival-themed books that I am currently working on it occurs in 43% of the novels between 1930 - 1980. Looking only at the 1970s, rape is a plot element in 74% of the novels.
Thank you, Keith and James, for sharing your insight into this short film. Rape is certainly a common motif in Ed Wood's fiction and even in his later screenplays for Steve Apostolof. Its use in Devil Cult just seemed especially gratuitous to me, since the tone of the subtitles does not match the tone of the footage at all. As for the authorship of Devil Cult, this film has Ed's stamp all over it. As I mentioned earlier, it feels very close to the stories and novels he was writing at this exact same time. I'd be very surprised if Eddie didn't have a hand in making this film.